Anish, Nirmaben lead contenders in Tata Mumbai Marathon elite races

A mix of seasoned champions and emerging talent led by defending champions Anish Thapa and Nirmaben Thakor will be among the leading contenders in the men’s and women’s elite races at the Tata Mumbai Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Race on January 18.

This year’s race will feature 36 of the country’s top athletes who will compete fiercely for the men’s and women’s titles, comprising 23 men and 13 women athletes. The top three finishers in the Indian Elite men’s and women’s categories will be awarded prize money of

`5 lakh, `4 lakh, and `3 lakh, respectively. In addition, an event record bonus of `2 lakh is on offer, along with an Indian event record jackpot of `1 lakh. The current Indian event records are held by Nitendra Singh Rawat (2:15:48) in the men’s category and Sudha Singh (2:34:56) in the women’s.

The men’s elite field is led by Anish, who also claimed victory at the Hyderabad Marathon last year. An experienced campaigner, Anish owns a personal best of 2:16:41, which he set in  Delhi in 2022. He will face stiff competition from Man Singh, the runner-up from the last edition, who boasts an impressive personal best of 2:13:25 achieved at the 2025 Valencia Marathon.

Man Singh is the third-fastest Indian marathoner of all time and the winner of the Asian Marathon Championships 2024, making him one of the standout contenders. Adding further depth to the field is Srinu Bugatha, the two-time Tata Mumbai Marathon Champion (2020 and 2024). He will be joined by Pradeep Singh Chaudhary, who has been showing steady improvement on the domestic circuit.

The women’s elite field will see Nirmaben, who will hope to secure a historic hat-trick of titles. She will face strong competition from Jyoti Gawate, winner of the 2011 and 2017 editions. A decade earlier, Lalita Babbar claimed three consecutive titles from 2012 to 2014, a feat Nirmaben will attempt to emulate.

Also in contention is Bhagirathi, a winner of marathons in Hyderabad and Delhi, with a personal best of 2:48:56 achieved in Delhi. Completing a competitive women’s line-up are Sonam, a podium finisher at the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2025, and Ashvini Madan Jadhav, who stands out as one of the youngest athletes in the elite field.